Most people who say they’ve had Close Encounters don’t mention tiny robots but rather living alien beings who aren’t exactly friendly. These creatures often abduct, probe, and experiment on their victims. While an advanced alien civilization might have the tech to cross time and space to visit Earth, some scientists argue why would they even want to? They suggest that such beings, who would be millions of years ahead of us, might find Earth incredibly boring. And even if they did want to make contact, it might not be a friendly visit, drawing from human history of confrontations.

Michael Shermer, the publisher of Skeptic magazine, has an interesting take. If we consider what happens on Earth, meeting ET sounds like a bad idea; we could end up eaten, enslaved, or worse. Despite this grim outlook, some people still claim to have had encounters with extraterrestrials. A fascinating part is the alien abduction stories people tell. These tales often seem like vivid, human experiences - a type of night terror or bad dream. Since there’s no solid evidence, people who share these stories usually prefer to stay anonymous.

Take Molly from New York, for instance. She describes several encounters throughout her life. One strange and disturbing memory involves a dream where a tiny stick was placed in her neck by a white paw. When she woke up, she found a painful lump on her neck, like a piece of rice. Molly says this tiny implant moved deeper into her body and disappeared before she could seek medical help. Another vivid memory involved being taken aboard an alien spacecraft, where she underwent strange medical procedures. She described one of the beings as tall, thin, and insect-like.

As with most who report alien encounters, Molly doesn’t have any evidence to back up her story. Skeptics believe such experiences are more tied to popular culture than actual extraterrestrial contact. People tend to explain their experiences based on what they’ve seen on TV or read in books and magazines. Throughout history, the idea of visitations has taken many forms. In the Middle Ages, people reported seeing angels and demons, while a hundred years ago, they spoke of spirits and ghosts.

Scientists like Shermer argue that a blend of sci-fi stories, movies, and real-life space exploration makes people visualize their fears as alien visitations. Aliens have become our modern-day angels and demons, a reflection of our fascination with the Space Age and science fiction.